Episode:Shadowboxing
| Shadowboxing | |
|---|---|
| Season: | Four |
| Episode number: | 408 |
| First aired: | November 9, 2009 |
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| Written by: | Joe Pokaski Misha Green |
| Directed by: | Jim Chory |
| Previous episode: | Once Upon a Time in Texas |
| Next episode: | Brother's Keeper |
Summary
- Emma meets a little girl and changes her mind about her career choice.
- Peter learns the limits of his newest power.
- Sylar tries to force Matt to reveal where his body is and what happened.
- Samuel decides the time is right to talk with Claire.
- Becky confronts Noah.
- Gretchen makes a decision about Claire.
Story Development
| Mr. Taylor · Christopher |
Synopsis
At the slaughterhouse, Olivia and Ashley wonder what they just saw, and Ashley is describing the fact that they just saw Rebecca turn invisible and Claire impaled on a steel rod. Claire says they were attacked by wild dogs, and claims that the sorority sisters must have put hallucinogenics in the water bottles. Gretchen claims she saw Olivia and Ashley making out. Olivia accepts the story and Ashley goes along with her, and Claire say that they should all keep it to themselves. Gretchen admits that she's not okay and points out that Rebecca just tried to kill her.
In New York City, a train goes off the tracks and Peter and Hesam are moving one paralyzed patient away in the ambulance. Once Peter is sure Hesam isn't watching, he uses his replicated healing ability to stabilize the injured man and cure his paralysis. When they arrive at the hospital, Hesam notes that Peter looks tired. As they take the patient in, Hesam observes that it's the fourth patient that isn't as badly injured as they first thought. As they go inside, Peter notices Emma watching. A shocked Emma turns away from the chaos of the ER.
In Los Angeles, Sylar in Matt's body boards an airplane to fly first class. Matt is there and demands that Sylar give him his body back. Sylar explains that they're going to New York City, saying the last thing he remembers is Peter stabbing him in the neck with a syringe. He suggests Matt just tell him what happened but Matt warns it won't happen. As they go through the security scanning devices, the airport security guard detects a gun in Sylar's bag. The security personnel arrest him while Sylar asks Matt what's going on. The guards wonder who Sylar is talking to and shove him to the floor, while Matt explains that what Sylar thought was a pair of socks was actually Matt's service revolver. Sylar tries to use Matt's telepathy to influence the guards but Matt blocks him, informing him that Sylar will never control his ability. The guards take him away as Sylar yells that he's a cop and he can explain.
At the carnival, Sylar is plagued by dreams of Nathan's life. His face changes and he wakes up with Nathan's appearance. He goes outside and walks around the grounds, and hears Samuel and Lydia talking. Sylar uses Nathan's power to fly away while Samuel comes out of Lydia's trailer and says that a situation has come up and he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Lydia notes that the Claire Bennet recruitment must not be going well, but Samuel insists he's the patron saint of lost causes and leaves.
At their dorm room, Gretchen is doing an Internet search to determine why Rebecca wants Gretchen and Annie dead. Claire plans to go to Rebecca's sorority house and see if she can find answers in Rebecca's room, but Gretchen wonders if Rebecca is in the room with them. Claire sprays talcum powder around the room to see if Rebecca is there, but Gretchen isn't reassured and suggests she should go with Claire. Claire tells her to stay there and not let anyone in the room, and hands her the talcum powder, gives her a thumbs up, and leaves.
At Mercy Heights Hospital, Emma observes everyone moving around to deal with the patients from the train wreck. She helps a nurse who has dropped her equipment, and a doctor asks if she knows how to keep pressure on a wound. Emma signals that she can and the doctor has her help apply pressure, and then tells her to notify a nurse that the patient is prepped. Once the doctor leaves, Emma takes over and treats the wound, stitching it up. Peter notices her working and then hears Nurse Hammer warn that another patient is in critical condition. He comes over and uses the healing touch to stabilize her. As Nurse Hammer takes away the patient, Peter staggers in exhaustion.
Claire arrives at Psi Alpha Chi and talks to Olivia and Ashley. She asks them if they've seen Rebecca but they don't remember what happened. The Haitian and Noah emerge and Noah says that when his daughter calls, he drops everything.
On the road, Sylar pulls over with a flat tire while Matt chuckles at him and observes that Sylar was at the airport for four and a half hours and still ended up on the no-fly list. Sylar wonders how he failed to see the piece of metal on the road and Matt implies that he made Sylar overlook it. As Sylar tries to fix the spare, a driver, Hank, pulls over and asks how Sylar is doing. Hank offers his help and asks for the tire iron. Sylar goes to get it and Matt trips him. Sylar gets back up and then clubs Hank to death with the tire iron. He points out that he didn't kill Hank: Matt did.
Claire reviews the "rules" with Noah, saying he gets to help get rid of the bad stuff but let her keep the good stuff. He tells her to go back to the dorm and the Haitian, René, insists on going with her. Claire says that he isn't allowed to wipe Gretchen's memory, and Noah assures her that the Haitian is going along negate Rebecca's invisibility. Claire admits it's a good plan and thanks him for his help.
Sylar searches Hank's body and explains to Matt that there's a line where he can do anything he wants, including murder, and Matt can't. He tells Matt to stop the sabotage because Sylar is the one in control, and Matt reluctantly agrees. Sylar finishes changing the tire and continues on his way.
Peter tries to recover and Emma finds him. He insists he's fine but she guides him over to a chair. He explains that the power is "draining in and out of him" and there are too many people that need his help. Emma suggests he stop using the power but Peter says he doesn't want to be ordinary and goes back in. As he goes, he says they could use her help and asks where she learned to do it. Emma admits she went to medical school, but lies, saying she dropped out.
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Claire discovers that Gretchen is packing. She explains that she is going home and doesn't believe that there's anything Claire can do. Claire explains that she called her father and says that Gretchen is too important to her to lose her. Gretchen says she's already booked her flight, but René comes in and Claire explains that he can keep Rebecca from turning invisible. Gretchen insists that she's the target and it may be everyday life for Claire, but she can't handle it and she's just not like Claire. As she goes, Claire tells René to follow Gretchen until she gets on the plane. There's a knock on the door and Samuel says that he might be able to help. He apologizes for his awkward agenda and says he's there looking for Rebecca. Samuel explains that he knows about Claire's ability from his niece and says that he knows what it's like to be evolved. He asks for a moment to talk and says he might have some answers for her.
Noah searches Rebecca's room and finds a compass. He hears a door close behind him, draws a taser, and turns. There's no one in sight and he explains that he once had a partner with the same power, and should be able to shock her into visibility. He says that he doesn't want to hurt her. Rebecca appears and says that she finds that hard to believe.
In Midland, TX, Sylar stops at the Burnt Toast Diner and orders the Tahitian Pancake special. He chats with Lynette, the waitress, and boasts that he once came to the same diner to kill another waitress there. Matt insists he can't, and Sylar says now is the time for Matt to tell him how he ended up in Matt's head and where his body is. Matt refuse and Sylar reminds him that Lynette is nice and isolated. Matt tells him to stop but Sylar takes a knife and goes back after her. Matt begs him to stop and Sylar tells him to choose. When Lynette comes back, Sylar moves toward her and Matt agrees to tell him what he wants to know.
Samuel explains how his ability works and that he has a family of sorts at the carnival. He says that Rebecca came to the carnival when she was young, and family is about trust and love and people accepting you without condition. Claire wonders if he accepts Rebecca pushing Annie out the window. Samuel says he doesn't, but explains that Rebecca's father was murdered when she was five. He says that Claire isn't the one that Rebecca is after.
Rebecca tells Noah that when she was five, Noah came to her house and tried to take her father away. Her father hid her under the bed and attacked Noah, who shot him.
Samuel says that Noah shot Rebecca's father without answering questions, and without probable cause, and that life is more complicated.
Rebecca tells Noah that she wished he wouldn't find her, and she turned invisible for the first time. She has spent her entire life wondering why she could make a wish to save herself but not her father.
Claire realizes that Rebecca is trying to get revenge on Noah through her.
Rebecca says that once she discovered Noah had a daughter, she promised to take away all of his dreams for Claire. Noah says that she's not going to hurt his daughter but Rebecca insists she's going to hurt them both. Two sorority girls come in and Rebecca turns invisible, and Noah says he was just looking for someone and leaves.
Samuel says it was a good idea for Claire to send Gretchen away, and Claire admits Gretchen left on her own. He says that seeing the ordinary through an extraordinary perspective can give a slanted view. When she wonders how he deals with it, Samuel says he's surrounded himself with people like him. He says he came to Claire because they both know what Noah would do in this situation. Noah comes in and asks Samuel what he thinks he would do. Samuel realizes that Claire was stalling until Noah returned, and admits that Rebecca is disturbed but Noah had some responsibility in that. Noah tosses him the compass and asks what he knows about it. Samuel explains that Danko killed Joseph, and in the wrong hands the compass could cause trouble for the carnival family. When Noah wonders who they have to hide from, Samuel points out that Noah has a reputation for attacking evolved humans. He claims that he just wants to find Rebecca and get her some help, and Noah aims his gun and says he wants some answers.
Emma goes into a supply closet and finds an unconscious Megan, suffering from a pneumothorax (actually hemothorax). Peter hears her and offers to help, but Emma says she can do it. She performs thoracotomy and revives her.
Noah handcuffs Samuel, who warns that he should be careful what he says in front of Claire. He then tells Claire not to blame Noah, because he doesn't understand evolved humans. As Noah gets Samuel in the car, Rebecca knocks Claire down, slams the van door on Noah, and tries to attack him. Samuel grabs the taser and shoots her. He picks her up and when Noah draws his gun, Claire tries to stop him. He knocks her down but Claire tells him to stop. Noah considers and then drops his gun, and Samuel leads Rebecca away. Noah apologizes to Claire but she looks at him and then walks away.
At the diner, Matt explains that he pushed Nathan's memories into Sylar's body and his shape shifting did the rest. He insists he had no idea that Sylar's mental essence would stay in his mind. Sylar casually doodles on a napkin, gives it to Lynette, and asks her for the check. He then asks Matt who else was involved. Matt explains that Angela and Noah were the ones responsible. Sylar says he's going to find Noah and then kill anyone even remotely involved. As Sylar leaves, Matt notices that Lynette and the cook are calling the police: Sylar left a note saying he has a gun. The police pull up and surround Sylar, and Matt says Sylar should have paid more attention to what he was doodling. He explains that he's decided to take a life if necessary: his own. Sylar says he's an idiot and Matt agrees, and then concentrates. He forces Sylar to reach beneath his jacket and the police open fire, gunning him down. Matt stares in shock and then fades away.
Noah and Claire go back to her dorm room. He apologizes for pushing her and she says it's okay because she doesn't bruise easily. As she contemplates Gretchen's empty bed, Noah says she's amazing and he wants her to have everything: a social life, an education, the white picket fence. Claire points out he once said life isn't that simple and then wishes him good night.
In the hospital ward, Emma pays the piano and watches the colors generated by the music. Peter comes in and notices she has a photo propped up. She explains it's her nephew Christopher, who drowned when she was babysitting him. She got distracted for a moment and didn't hear him. She lies, saying she dropped of medical school after that. Peter pulls out Megan's tiara and said the girl wanted Emma to have it, because it's for special people. When Emma says she couldn't save her nephew, Peter points out that she saved Megan. Emma thanks him for saving her. Peter asks if she's going back to school to become a doctor. Emma plays the piano and asks if he can see the colors. He says he can't, but offers to play with her anyway. He puts the tiara on her head.
The EMTs take Matt to the hospital and try to revive him en route.
Claire tries to go to sleep without success and looks over at Gretchen's empty bed.
Emma takes her doctor's coat out of storage.
At the carnival, Samuel apologizes to Rebecca for having to stun her. She says that she got sloppy but Samuel believes they have Claire right where they want her. He assures her that she'll still get her revenge. Lydia comes out and tells Samuel that Sylar is gone.
At his apartment, Noah is going over the information he's compiled on the clippings, including the destruction of a manor in a sinkhole, on which he has written "Samuel".
Peter takes down the clippings from the board in his apartment. There's a knock on the door and he answers it: it's Nathan. Nathan embraces him and says that he's in trouble.
Memorable Quotes
"I don't get to fly very often, you know. Especially not first class."
"Well, I'm glad my life savings could broaden your horizons."
"It sounds like the Claire Bennet recruitment is a lost cause."
"You know me. I'm the patron saint of lost causes."
"No, tell me. What would Bennet do?"
"Earlier I saw you with the, uh, suture. Where'd you learn how to do that?"
"Clown college."
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm crossing that line. You told me that I'm not man enough to take a life. Well, you know what? You're wrong. 'Cause I'm going to take yours."
"You're an idiot. You'll die with me."
"Yeah. I know."
"I think I'm in trouble, Pete."
"He’s not going to erase Gretchen’s memory. He’s coming with you so if Becky comes near, she won’t be able to stay invisible. Okay?"
"Oh, that’s actually a really good plan."
Character Appearances
Trivia
- In the scene where Emma saves the little girl, she performs thoracotomy. Though in truth, the correct term is actually thoracentesis.
- This episode reveals the Haitian's name: René.
- Noah places an article on his wall written by Christina Haberkern. Christina Haberkern is a props maker for Heroes.
See Also
- For images from Shadowboxing, see images from Shadowboxing.
- For storyboards from the scene in which Sylar/Matt kills Hank, see here.
| previous: Once Upon a Time in Texas | Shadowboxing | next: Brother's Keeper |
| See Also: Volume One Episodes • Volume Two Episodes • Volume Three Episodes • Volume Four Episodes • Volume Five Episodes • Heroes Reborn Episodes • All Episodes |
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